Not Getting Carried Away

We’ve not done anything yet – if you ask me in 15 games time we’ll know for sure whether it’s been a success"

Danny Batth

“Ask me at the end of the season!” – that’s the message from Danny Batth about Wolves’ push for promotion from Sky Bet League One.

The popular defender, enjoying an excellent season at the heart of the Wolves defence, is simply not allowing himself to get carried away with anything until the team have achieved what they set out to achieve which would be to climb into the Championship.

And the old adage of ‘taking one game at a time’ is very true for a Wolves team ready to welcome Port Vale to Molineux tomorrow (3pm).

“It’s a case of looking at what we have got to do in the next game and focusing one game at a time,” says Batth.

“We are a fairly new team which has had to gel and I think as your understanding gets better the cohesion improves and so have performances.

“A big part about recent results has been finding a good consistency but also everyone keeping their feet on the ground.

“We’ve had a few new players coming in during the season which has also given us a lift whilst also getting to grips with the league a bit more.

“It was a tight game at times against Brentford, especially during the first half and before we got the first goal.

“We had to stay very focused, particularly as a back four, and with any game you are always looking for that first goal to give you a base to build from.

“It was good to beat a team around us in the table but we certainly aren’t getting carried away.

“It’s another three points on the board and doesn’t matter too much where they come from – with that game gone it’s now about trying to get the next result.

“There is still work to be done and we just need to keep winning games and winning enough games to get where we want to be at the end of the season.

“We’ve not done anything yet – if you ask me in 15 games time we’ll know for sure whether it’s been a success.

“The Brentford game was another win and I don’t think after the game the supporters will have got too carried away.

“They will realise that there is still a lot of play for.

“A lot of our games are away from home as well and that has to be taken into account.

“It’s just a case of steadying the ship and keeping ticking along.”

Steadying the ship this season has certainly included tightening up the ‘goals against’ column which has seen Wolves emerge as currently the meanest defence in the country.

Batth is enjoying his central defensive partnership with Richard Stearman, but says that record is down to the efforts of the whole team.

“It’s the sign of a good back four and a good goalkeeper to keep clean sheets but we certainly don’t underestimate the amount of work the lads in front of us do.

“They all work very hard for us as well.

“It comes from a team mentality, a record like we have, which is something we have tried to creatre and now want to build on.

“I have known Stears for a long time and we have played a lot of football together.

“I think it is a partnership with a really good balance to it and we have got the sort of understanding that comes when you have played alongside someone for a while.

“It starts to become natural in terms of what happens next.

“Now we’re looking a real threat going forward as well.

“Sometimes you don’t need to over-complicate things and a lot of the time it’s about consistency and enthusiasm and making sure you are fully prepared for when the games come along.”